Klamath River with an 8"

[blues_dad]

Ok, looks like in June, I'm leaving my job for a few months(VACATION, NOT QUITTING!!)and spending 3-4 months up by Happy Camp, on the Klamath with a gentleman who has agreed to take me on as a dredging partner and teach me the ropes(by the way Chuck, I still want to get out with you before then also). Anyways, he has an 8" dredge, about 10 miles upstream of Happy Camp. I don't think it's a 49er claim though, according to him anyways. Has anyone worked this area, and if so, is it worth it terms of how much gold we can possibly find for me to leave work for 4 months to do this? And he's also gonna teach me how to detect on some old hydraulic tailings on his claims. So hopefully, I'll be able to post some nice pictures when I get back this fall.

[nuggethunting]

Hello Blues Dad,

Do you know if this guy Chuck was originally from Arizona? An older friend of mine, named Chuck, moved to California to work an 8-inch dredge in the same area. Just curious if it's the same guy.

The last time I seen him he had a Peanut Butter jar full of gold nuggets from one of the major Rivers in California. I believe it was the Klamath.

Talk with you later,

Rob Allison

[Uncle Ron]

That's the area I came from before moving to the big AZ 9 years ago...I mined and dredged up there for about 25 years...With an 8" you've got a good chance of making wages for a couple of months, and you'll have a heck of an adventure...I assume he's got all the permits in place, etc...You might check to see if you have to have a separate personal dredging permit in your name too, in addition to his...Calif. F&G can really be AH's if you don't toe the line on their rules...Good luck! Cheers, Unc

[blues_dad]

That's the area I came from before moving to the big AZ 9 years ago...I mined and dredged up there for about 25 years...With an 8" you've got a good chance of making wages for a couple of months, and you'll have a heck of an adventure...I assume he's got all the permits in place, etc...You might check to see if you have to have a separate personal dredging permit in your name too, in addition to his...Calif. F&G can really be AH's if you don't toe the line on their rules...Good luck! Cheers, Unc

ya uncle ron, I have to get a non resident dredge permit once I get out there, runs about $150 or whatnot. He doesn't work the shallows, he likes to get deep, said he found a couple paystreaks at end of last season he didnt have time to work, so I guess that's where we'll be starting. I figure I may as well do this while I'm still young, I don't want to get on later in life, and regret not giving it a try anyways.

Nuggethunting, the chuck I'm referring to is Ridge Runner here in the forums, not sure where he's from. He offered to take me on for a week this spring, but that was before I decided to take the summer out on the klamath. We're still on for that right chuck?

[COLORADO BOB]

Blues Dad,

I have worked the river all up and down through that area. You won't find gold in every hole that you drop the dredge in. Just like detecting, your not going to find gold in every spot that you detect, even though your in a known gold area.

It will help a lot if you can read the river a bit. Try to visualize the river at flood stage, not at its regular flow rate, so you can see how the flow will change and thereby create a despository for gold. Even that is not an absolute but it may tip the odds in your favor as you can waste a lot of time punching so called dry holes.

I always spent a few days looking the river over at various place's to locate the most likely place that the gold may have stopped.

On one occasion I located an area that appeared favorable. I put my five inch in, as it was just too rough to get my eight inch into. I worked the area for 20 day's and never got less than 1/4 oz. per day. I usually went to work at 10:00 AM and quit at 2:00 PM. Late sleeper???? No, I quit early because the water was murky, very swift, boil holes, the whole bit and there were some very large trees on the bank that would cast a shade over the area I was dredging and I just couldn't see.

Another time I dropped the five in somewhere above the 10 mi. point that your talking about. I worked and area about 5 ft. wide and maybe 50 ft long in about 3' to 4' of overburden and popped 8 oz's before it played out. Didn't take long to work that strip.

Another time I found a very small area that most of the guys wouldn't work becaust they would go out with their 4 and 5" units and find that the area was boulder city. They would work down through 4 or 5 ft. and it was boulder after boulder so they would quit.But after testing it with my small five I found that most of the rocks were about one or two times the size of a basket ball.

I put my 8" in as it was a very easy place to get in to, and took it down to bedrock [about 8" of overburden], I took 9 oz. out of that small hole in a couple days.

The reason I used the 8' was to move the most material I could in the shortest possible time I could. Besides it was easy as I didn't have to string a head line or any of that stuff. Just held the dredge about 30 or so feet off the bank and went stright up the hole. I was only running 30' of hose but could make a nice sweep with it. Only thing I had to do was run a tail line to keep the dredge from running over the top of me as the water was not very swift.

Another thing you can do is make a low grade pay streak pay with an eight inch, where you cannot make it pay with a five inch, due to the volumn of material that you will move with the eight.

Don't know how you are in the water, but I would look for any rapids that had not been worked [lots of people won't work them] and when I found one I worked it and never worked one that didn't pay well.

And yes, they will beat you to death. Beware of any boulders that are down in the overburden when you cut a face. Due to the huge volumn and speed of the water those things will come loose andbe on you before

you can blink. I have had them as big as the frontend of a car, come loose. You can feel the big "ol" thud when they hit the bedrock. I usually wore around 105 lbs. of lead when working those areas.

Don't let anyone talk you into tying anything to your body. Neither do you need one of those harnesses to hook your airline to. Its just something else to have to get out of if you should get into trouble. Throw the airline over your shoulder, make a horseshoe shape loop in it and slip it under your weight belt. If you get blowed out it will slip out from under your belt and you can spit the reg. out or it will be jerked out of your mouth, either way is fine, just as long as your rid of it.

Anyway, just a few places where I have been lucky.

Bob T.

[Uncle Ron]

Yeah, what Bob said... ...Cheers, Unc

Excellent advice, Bob, you oughta write a book or large pamphlet...Those are practical tips most have to learn the hard way

[FlakMagnet]

DEFINATELY what Bob said!

What great advice...be sure and reread it again every once in awhile,

this is advice which will not only increase your poke,

it will keep you alive in the process.

One other tip:

It is very educational to go and watch a river, any river you are going to dredge in,

during a storm or in a semi-flood stage.

This is where the material really moves around

and the river looks incredibly different from the way it is

when you can get in and dredge in it - sometimes months later.

Watching how high water works - even taking pictures of the areas you are

interested in, can pay big dividends later, after the water level has dropped and there

is no hint of where and how it was really flowing when the most material was moving.

fwiw,

Flak

[gotgold]

Yeah, what Bob said... ...Cheers, Unc

Excellent advice, Bob, you oughta write a book or large pamphlet...Those are practical tips most have to learn the hard way

I agree with Unc on the advice.....and writing of a Pamplet/Book. Go for it!

Believe or not both of your posts just gave me an business inspiration (how the heck did I miss this one ) that I hadn't thought of before, which applies to our software!

WTG Just gotta love it!

Gary

[blues_dad]

well, i guess this guy wants to bust ass when we're out there, starting at 9 am or so and going until 5 or 6 everyday. You know, I have tried to ask him what he has been averaging out there per season, but I still haven't gotten an answer. Honestly, I don't care if we find that much gold or not, I just want to do it for the experience. Sure, coming home after 4 months with 10-15 ounces would be nice, but not gonna get upset if it don't happen.

[LuckyLundy]

well, i guess this guy wants to bust ass when we're out there, starting at 9 am or so and going until 5 or 6 everyday. You know, I have tried to ask him what he has been averaging out there per season, but I still haven't gotten an answer. Honestly, I don't care if we find that much gold or not, I just want to do it for the experience. Sure, coming home after 4 months with 10-15 ounces would be nice, but not gonna get upset if it don't happen.

Blues Dad,

You will have a great time! My offer still stands if you find that big river to much for you. You received some great advise above, but you won't know understand until you get on the business end of and 8 nozzel. I'd bring and 8 mm wet suit, hood & socks...get a skin suit it will help you get in and out of the wet suit and a pair of fly fishing boots (felt on the soals). I don't know if you'll be underwater helping move cobbles while your partner is dredging, might need your own weights and belt too. Oh, get your own diving mask too. Big rivers like that are a bear to work and with the wet winter we are having don't turn your head or your mask will get pulled down.

[blues_dad]

ya lucky, the majority of the time I'll be the rock man. Occasionally I'll be the nozzle operator, but most of the time just moving rocks. He told me I would be ok with a 5" suit, so I ordered that, and the mask, regulator, boots, hood, etc. Bout the only thing i don't have yet is the permit once I get out there.

[Bandana Don]

Back in the days when I owned dredging claims on the upper Hassayampia River (in AZ) there was a 100 Year Rain Storm. I went out to my claims and walked the river bank with my camera taking pictures as I walked. Later I wrote an article entitled "High Water Research" which told my story and the benefits of my

research durting the rain and high rushing water. Yup, my research sure paid off.

Don

[FlakMagnet]

Blues Dad,

If you're going to be the rock man,

I'd also suggest you get a cheap pair of steel toe boots

in a big size to wear over your booties...just one boulder drop on a foot

will more than explain why.

I found that those wet-suit booties were nice for comfort and warmpth,

but you also want all your toe-nails at the end of the season...ditto for your fingers,

watch those rocks!

I also note in your sig line something about body builder in training...

You will find there is no better workout than moving rocks all day,

you will sleep very well at night.

We used to call it voluntarily going to Levenworth all day.

Fast water work is a whole learning curve in itself.

We used to have to dredge a channel that we could lie in to keep out of the current.

If we poked our heads too far up into the current, it would not only strip our mask off,

but it would literally suck us right out of our little trench and send us downstream.

Lots of weight helps, but you learn quickly about making yourself low-profile in the water.

I particularly had problems with fast water, probably because I weigh about 135 lbs. I was

wearing 90 lb's of weight just to stay somewhere near where I wanted to be...lol.

It's a hoot.

Flak

[Ridge Runner]

blues dad

Everybody gave you great advise because they been there and done that.Now how much gold you'll get is another thing and only time will tell.I'll say you will never work so hard and enjoy something so much.When your old and gray with all your teeth gone you'll say I remember when back in 2008 we worked this claim,hot damn I had fun.

You ask was it worth it to take off four months from your job well you said you were single and I always said I was looking for a job when I found this one.You get a wife and kid's you can forget about doing something like this unless you live in gold country.

I know you are going to have the best time of your life.

Chuck Anders

PS Dredging is like driving in you want to always leave yourself an out.

[blues_dad]

hey flak, I don't think I'll have to worry much about being swept away. I got a good 240 lbs on me. Shit may not even need weights, lmao. Of course, I'm hoping to drop about 30-40 pounds this summer slinging rocks. And thanks for the advice about the steel toes, will definitely do that.

ya chuck, that's what I'm hoping for, the time of my life. May as well do it while I'm young.

[Ridge Runner]

blues dad

Go to www.arizonaoutback.com and click on dredging up 80 ounces posted by Chris but he didn't get it a friend did.

Chuck Anders

[blues_dad]

hey chuck, I couldn't find a link to that anywhere on that site. Would be an interesting read.

[fredm]

Blues..live your dream!!! However, make sure you have something stashed away to get back home on ...

Free and single so

GO For The Gold, there is nothing more beautiful than Gold laying on the bedrock or twinkling in the sunshine.

Good Luck

Fred

[Ridge Runner]

Blues dad

www.arizonaoutback.com then click on azo prospecting forum then again click again azo prospecting and right now it's the first thing you will see.

Chuck

[Cooter9761]

My friends have 20 acres at Horse Creek and I dredged it 2 years ago with a 4". Let me tell you, that water is moving! Just look up for a second and your out of your hole.

Have fun and Good Luck!!!

Cooter

[KAGY]

What an opportunity !!!! Nothing like it ! You can't go wrong because you will gain more experience than you could in 5 seasons on your own and you'll have a seasoned prospector watching out for you. If you come home with one ounce you will still come out ahead. You will soon find that you have to be young and healthy to dredge with an 8 inch especially in fast water. I only got to work on one for a few days and now that the years have flown by I still feel like my 3 and 4 inch dredges are barely moving any material. If you have never been diving, take your wetsuit, mask, and snorkel to some creek and get used to going underwater. Enjoy your summer. Ken Gardner

[whats4supper]

bah humbug!

[FlakMagnet]

whats4supper,

That is all so true.

I have played football, been a gymnast, run track,

driven race cars, run distances every day sick or well, rain or shine

for almost twenty years, and yeah I'm a dad too.

None of them come close to putting me in shape like dredging did.

But you have to remember a couple of things;

in the heat of the moment, don't decide to jerk-lift that boulder

to get it the heck out of the way cuz there just has to be gold under it.

Your back will thank you about ten years later.

Try to remember to eat. I know that sounds crazy, but in the middle

of the day especially if you're seeing gold go up the nozzle, it's easy

to say aw I'm just gonna keep going.

Also, you must must must rest at least one day a week if you're doing ten hour

days like we used to. Otherwise about week three you can't remember how

to tie your shoes...you're just too burned out tired to even think straight.

And just forget about driving.

I don't drink much so I can't comment on what that does or does not do for

river work, but I have seen evidence that it's probably not the best long-term help.

Here's another real biggie;

make sure the wind isn't blowing your exhaust into the compressor!

If you start to get a funny taste in your mouth, get light-headed,

or sick to your stomach, get the hell out of the water and breath some fresh air

until you feel right...check the wind when you do. I have seen so many guys

get poisoned this way, it's really surprisingly common even with experienced people.

And like '4supper said, and it bears repeating: if you think a rock might be even a little dangerous,

knock it into the hole and clear it out.

Make a rule with your partner; if HE thinks something

is even slightly dangerous in your work area, he has permission to knock it loose.

This is a rule that saved me and a couple of partners some big trouble.

I know, we're smarter than that...

Well, actually, no.

Dredging makes idiots of all of us where danger is concerned.

I will make a friendly bet that one day you will remember this warning.

ok, giving the bandwidth back...

Flak

[blues_dad]

Wow, you guys have been full of helpful advice. Should hopefully make my time out there a little easier to bear. Now Ken, if i ONLY end up with an ounce, I'm blaming you for jinxing me. And that's what I'm hopinf for , a good workout doing this, gotta get this body back into some sort of shape. Ya, I already planned on taking lots of multivitamins, protein shakes, anything I can get my hands on to give me an edge. Thanx for all your advise guys.

[kcoulson]

Blues Dad,

You will have a great time. I dredged on the Klamath and Indian Creek last year. I think I probably will be on the Salmon River this year- not too far away.

Be sure and give us a report after the dredge season.

Ken